


Even the Pyramids Must Crumble

by Pastel_killer



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Abandoned Fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-14
Updated: 2015-10-26
Packaged: 2018-04-26 07:29:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4995673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pastel_killer/pseuds/Pastel_killer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The twins head back to Gravity Falls for one last relaxing summer. But where's the fun in that?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Back and More Triangular than Ever

The low sound of wheels turning, a soft vibration, and an uncomfortable seat is what greeted Dipper as he woke up. It took him a moment to be fully aware of his surroundings, a small bus en route to Gravity Falls. As he sat up and stretched he looked over to see Mabel, also asleep, wearing headphones. He smiled softly as he remembered the first summer they had taken the bus to their Grunkle’s house in Gravity Falls. They had been so young, completely unaware of all the things that they would learn and discover over those warm, crazy months. Now here they were, going to Gravity Falls one last time before college. Mabel and he had decided to wait a bit before going to their respective universities. Although, admittedly, Dipper hadn’t actually found his college yet; he was planning on using the extra time to find one. They would also be working at the shack, which would help them get the money they needed for books. Dipper figured that between work, monster hunting, and getting ready for college, he wouldn’t have time for much else. All he could do was hope for a calm summer in his favorite town. Too bad things never turn out how we want.

For a week, things were perfectly normal. Dipper didn’t think much of it, because they had been staying mainly in the Mystery Shack, but now it was a Sunday and Dipper was determined to have an adventure, having not gone on one since last summer. “Hey Mabel! I’m gonna head out into the woods! Wanna come?” Mabel looked up from her phone, which she had her head buried in since they arrived in Gravity Falls. Dipper thought it was strange, especially when she sometimes blushed after getting a message. Which is exactly what she was doing at that very moment. She quickly hid her blush with a smile, eyes lighting up at the suggestion of going on an adventure with Dipper.

“How can I say no to that?” Mabel said, hopping up from the couch to put on her shoes and grabbing her supplies. The twins walked out of the house after saying a quick goodbye to their Grunkle, and made a bee-line for the woods. They wandered around for a bit, cautious after having been away for so long, and happy to just enjoy their surroundings and take it all in. About an hour into the walk, however, Dipper began to feel… anxious. Something felt off, even if Dipper wasn't sure what it was. He looked over at Mabel and noticed the look on her face. It was obvious she also seemed to be feeling the same way.

“Maybe we should head back,” Dipper said, slowing his walk, “Something feels… off.” Mabel glanced over at him and chewed on her lip.

“I think you’re right,” she said nervously. She looked back at the forest, searching for any movement in the trees, but finding none. The twins turned to leave, but before either of them could take a step there was a sudden stop. No longer were the birds chirping or the leaves rustling, and the color had been drained from the plants, leaving them in a gray and terrible place. The mindscape, Dipper realized, a feeling of terror beginning to spread through his chest. Mabel threw her arm out- reaching for Dipper. They both looked around frantically for the triangle menace they knew had to be lurking around somewhere, just waiting to strike. But the strike never came, and slowly the twins lowered their guard. After a minute- or minutes, the adrenaline blurred the time- of tense silence, Dipper let out a frustrated sigh. "We might as well try to head home," Dipper said, still looking around their gray surroundings. "Maybe he's not going to show and this was just some weird inter-dimensional... bubble...thing?" It didn't sound very convincing, though, and Dipper knew it.

"You're probably right, bro-bro. Let's just go before he even has the chance to know we're here," Mabel said, and began to walk away. Dipper followed after her, being sure to keep his guard up the whole way home. Just in-case.

When the twins got home, they went up to their rooms, having already decided on the walk home to say nothing to Grunkle Stan. Luckily the mindscape had faded away after only a few minutes of walking, but the danger of a certain triangle menace still hung thick over their heads, and suddenly their stay in Gravity Falls seemed less fun-and-games than before. Mabel bounced back almost automatically, determined to not let anything get in the way of her good time. As soon as she'd gotten back to the shack she had been absorbed in her phone again, leaving Dipper time to himself. He tried to work on college applications, but couldn't find the motivation. His mind was in other places. It had been almost three years since he'd last had to deal with Cipher, and as far as he knew people couldn't just jump in and out of the mindscape. If Cipher knew they were back in Gravity Falls then maybe he was planning on trying to do something? Maybe it was time for Dipper to do some research.


	2. Man, This Party is a Trip!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pacifica is throwing a party and Bill is extending an olive branch

Another week went by with no sign of the dream demon, and with every day he went unseen Dipper let himself relax a little more. He and Mabel still hadn't told Grunkle Stan, and since nothing else was happening, they still didn't need to.

Dipper was relaxing in his room, immersed in a book when his door suddenly slammed open. He automatically tensed and jumped up, his adrenaline starting to kick in. He heard a laugh as he saw who opened the door, Mabel standing there with an excited look on her face.

"Don't worry bro," she said, still smiling, "it's just me!" She walked over to his closet and threw open the doors, as she said, "So... Pacifica's parents are throwing her a graduation party tonight, and we're invited!"

"I don't know, Mabel," Dipper started, "I'm not a huge party person, and-"

"Nope, not hearing it. You're coming whether you like it or not." She continued to look though Dipper's closet, and because he knew there was no point in arguing, he simply sighed loudly and flopped back onto his bed. If he had to go he could at least make sure she knew he was annoyed about it. After about a minute of searching something almost fancy was found, and set it on the bed next to Dipper, who was given strict instructions to be ready by 5:00. With a quick pat on the shoulder, Mabel went back to her room to get ready. Dipper glanced at the clock and groaned, standing up to get dressed. As he did, however, he felt slightly dizzy. He sat back down on the bed only to realize that everything around him was gray.

"Hey kid," No, this could not be happening, "Miss me?" God dammit. Dipper took up a fighting stance, raising his fists as he looked around the room, trying to find the source of the voice. "Don't bother looking for me. I'm not actually in the room" Cipher said, and, for a moment, Dipper wondered if he could read minds. "I'm sure right now you're wondering to yourself 'can the amazing and almighty Bill Cipher read my mind?' but no kid, I can't. You humans are just open books", Bill laughed, making Dipper even more on edge.

"What do you want from me Cipher?" Dipper asked, still looking around the room, "Because there's no way in hell I'm making any deals."

"Language, Pine Tree, language!" Bill's voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, and Dipper gave up on looking for him. Instead he just scowled at the ceiling, hoping Bill would be able to see it. "I'm not here to make a deal, meat sack. I'm just here to welcome you back to the wonderful town of Gravity Falls! Can't an old pal just stop in to say hi?"

"Not if that 'old pal' is a demon who tried to destroy my family- more than once," Dipper said, still looking up at the ceiling. He was beyond pissed, and it was audible when he spoke, "Why are you really here? What do you want?"

Bill laughed again, and this time it sounded like it was right behind Dipper. He spun around, expecting to see the triangular bastard there, but he was still nowhere to be seen. The laugh continued, once again behind him, and then above him, and then to the side. The laugh stretched on, echoing and coming from all sides, growing in volume until Dipper was forced to press his hands over his ears to try to block out the loud, painful noise. Then all at once the laugh was gone, and Dipper was left standing in the middle of his room, back in color.

It took Dipper a few moments to notice that, while in the mindscape, Cipher had taken the opportunity to make a few changes. The outfit Mabel had laid out on the bed, previously a white dress shirt with black slacks, now had the addition of a black and white tie, sitting neatly on top of his shirt. Dipper scowled, something he seemed to do a lot of whenever dealing with the annoying triangle. A quick check of the clock showed that no time had passed, so Dipper still had plenty of time to get ready for the party. The thought of telling Mabel about Cipher crossed his mind, but the thought of her not enjoying her night made Dipper pause. She was clearly excited, and he could hear her shuffling around in the bathroom getting ready. It could wait, he finally decided. He could tell her after the party, after she’d already had a nice night with her friends. Cipher hadn’t even been threatening, after all. Having made his decision, Dipper got to work changing into his formal outfit, but only after making absolutely certain that nothing else had been changed.

Pacifica’s party, of course, was absolutely massive. The entire bottom floor was decorated; streamers and balloons hung everywhere, and the floor seemed to be covered in a layer of glitter. At the sides of the room were two giant sets of stairs, the banisters wrapped in string lights. At the very top was Pacifica, sitting on a step looking bored. As soon as Mabel saw her she took off, excited to greet her friend after having been away for so long. Dipper strolled along after her, taking in the lavish decor and the many party-goers that were meandering around. They were slightly early, but even so, there were already more guests than there ever were at any of Dipper and Mabel’s parties. Dipper consoled himself with the thought that Pacifica probably barely knew most of these people. He began walking up the staircase, finding it was just as covered in glitter as the main floor had been. There was so much glitter, in fact, that he almost slipped a few times before he finally made it to the top. As he walked up Pacifica saw him over Mabel’s shoulder and gave him a smile before giving her full attention back to Mabel. Dipper walked around to stand next to his twin, watching the way the girls talked to each other. They seemed to be completely wrapped up in their own world, unaware of anything else going on around them. Dipper was overwhelmingly glad that he hadn’t told Mabel about Cipher, and that she was already having such a good time.

After another few minutes of chatting the two girls hugged again, and Pacifica walked off to go greet more guests. Mabel’s smile lit up her whole face as she watched her walk away, and Dipper wondered if Pacifica had been who she had been texting. It made sense for them to text, they were best friends after all.

“Isn’t it so nice to see her again, Dipper?” Mabel asked, the same huge smile still on her face. “And she looks so nice tonight, too. I love her dress!” Dipper smiled and looked through the crowd until he saw Pacifica talking to an older man, and trying her hardest to seem interested.

“Who is everyone? I don't think there are even this many people in Gravity Falls.” Dipper said, still watching Pacifica pretending to listen to some, obviously boring, story.

“Paz said her dad invited a bunch of his rich old guy friends. Except he only invited the ones who had rich sons, and he wants her to talk to all of them.” Mabel laughed as she said it, and Dipper couldn't help but laugh with her as he saw Pacifica smiling awkwardly at a gangly teen in a suit.

As the night went on, Pacifica managed to ditch the rich guys hanging around her in favor of hanging out with Mabel and Dipper. The three alternated between sitting at the top of the stairs and dancing- badly, in Dippers case. After they had been sitting for a while, Pacifica and Mabel decided they wanted to dance again, but Dipper was exhausted. His feet hurt, he was sweating, and he just wanted to stay right where he was and not move for the rest of the night. He gave a smile to the girls, now arm in arm, and said, "You guys can go dance, im just gonna hang out here."

“Are you sure, bro?”, Mabel asked, glancing over at Pacifica. “We don't have to go dance, we can stay here.”

“He’s fine Mabel, let's just go dance a few dances and then we’ll come right back for him.” They started to walk down the stairs, but Mabel glanced back at Dipper once more. As she looked back Dipper saw her foot miss the next stair, and watched her start to fall. He watched her tumble forward, and it felt like a scene being played in slow motion as she fell. Her hair, done up with soft curls, streamed out in front of her, her hands reached out to grab something that could stop her fall. And then, in the blink of an eye- she stopped. Mabel was suspended mid-fall, and not a single person moved. Dipper quickly grabbed Mabel’s arm and pulled her into a hug, making sure she wouldn't be able to fall again, only to notice that her previously beautiful pink dress had turned a shade of gray. He looked at her face, but that was gray too, and so was everything else around him. He opened his mouth to say something, but as he did the world lurched back into motion. The music picked up where it left off, the people downstairs continued to mingle and dance, and Dipper hugged his twin tighter, not noticing the yellow glow that watched him from below.

It wasn't until after the party ended, and Dipper was totally sure Mabel was okay, that he decided to tell her what had happened. "It was Cipher, Mabel. He was the reason I could stop you from falling. He put me in the mindscape long enough to save you, even though I'm not sure how he did it. He also..." Dipper looked down, he knew how Mabel would react to him telling her about Cipher, "He came and talked to me earlier, before the party." 

"He what?" Mabel tensed up, recoiling back from Dipper, "Why didn't you tell me? I'm your sister- I'm your twin! Did he threaten you? Did he-"

"No, no. He just said he 'wanted to say hi' and then he left! I didn't tell you because I wanted you to have fun at the party, I didn't want you to worry!" Dipper ran a hand through his hair and watched as Mabel continued to pace. 

"We have to tell Grunkle Stan. I'm sure he'll know what to do about it," Mabel said, as she sat down next to Dipper and put her head on his shoulder. "We can do it in the morning, though." Dipper smiled, and put his arm around her.

"Yeah. In the morning."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that concludes chapter two!! It still feels really short but idk. Tell me what you all think!!


	3. Chapter 3

The twins both dreamed peacefully that night. Dipper dreamed of discovering secrets, of exploring the unexplored. He dreamed that he was a famous author who had everything he could ever want. Success, love, happiness, and most importantly- answers. Mabel dreamed of a beautiful blonde girl whose eyes sparkled when she laughed, and of dancing the night away with her. She dreamed of dresses- her dresses- twirling down a runway, and of always being happy.

When Dipper finally awoke- from what felt like the best sleep of his life- all that could be heard was the soft sound of the birds singing, and a distant shuffling from downstairs, he felt irrationally happy, though he had no idea why. It was comfortably warm and soft in his bed, and his eyes rejected his brain’s wakefulness, falling shut a few more times before Dipper managed to sit up and run a hand through his thoroughly sleep-tousled hair. Now more awake, he could also smell the faintest scent of pancakes being made. He smiled as he got up and pulled on an old t-shirt before shuffling down the stairs into the kitchen, eyes once again threatening to droop shut while he tried to keep them open. Mabel stood at the stove, occasionally flipping or prodding at the pan in front of her. Grunkle Stan was already sitting at the table, a plate of half eaten pancakes sitting in front of him, dripping in syrup and butter. Dipper sat down at the table and gave a groggy smile to the others.

“You kids look like you slept well. That party must've really been something, huh?” Stan asked, looking between the two twins, both still partially gripped by sleep. Mabel perked up at the mention of the party, and having finished with the pancakes, set them on the table and sat down next to Dipper.

“Oh my god Grunkle Stan, it was great! Pacifica’s whole house was decorated and their must’ve been, like, a million people there. She even had a DJ and everything!” 

“I think a million people might be slightly exaggerated, Mabel, but there were a ton of people there,” Dipper said, looking over at Mabel with a smile. “And yeah, it was a pretty cool party. The music wasn’t really my thing but hey, it wasn't my party.”

“You're just saying that because they didn't play any cheesy pop songs!”  
“My music taste isn't cheesy!”

 

“Is so!”

“Is not!”

Stan watched the two bicker for a second, letting himself enjoy having them around again. Eventually the argument ended in favour of eating, and they all sat around the table in a comfortable silence. That is, until the Dipper became fully awake with the memory of what had happened the night before. He subtly looked over at Mabel, who seemed to be fully intent on staring down at her pancakes with wide eyes. Great, Dipper thought bitterly, guess it's up to me to say something. As he opened his mouth to speak, however, the room seemed to spin for a second as it suddenly went gray. He quickly looked over at Mabel, who was looking back at him, eyes wider than they had been only moments ago. After looking around for a moment, without anything- or anyone- jumping out at them, the twins lowered their guard. 

“Bill?” Dipper called out, unsure of where the triangular demon was. He slowly walked around the table to where his Grunkle was still frozen. Mabel walked up behind him, and they slowly made their way into the living room before Dipper again called out, “Bill?” Dipper walked over to the window, and was surprised to see a soft yellow glow coming from the edge of the forest. “Shit. Mabel, look in the forest.” 

Her gaze quickly scanned the tree line, looking for whatever it was that Dipper was talking about. “Is that… Bill?” She asked, unsure of what it was she was seeing.

“I think so,” he replied turning to face his sister, “Should we go out there?”

Mabel’s lips pressed into a thin line as she debate their options. They had two choices, stay home and wait it out, or go out and confront the demon. “Let’s grab some supplies. If we’re going to go piss of a demon, we might as well not go at it with no way to defend ourselves, ya’ know?” She turned and walked towards the stairs, and Dipper followed her. They split off to their separate rooms, grabbing supplies and weapons and shoving them into their backpacks. Resources gathered, they met back up in the hall, Mabel holding her grappling hook, Dipper holding in his nervousness. Once again Dipper followed Mabel as they walked back through the house, passing their still frozen Grunkle. As they passed him, Mabel paused before walking around to the side of Stan. She gave him a kiss on the cheek before continuing forward to the door. Dipper knit his eyebrows together, now even more nervous than before. Who knew what Cipher had planned, what sort of horrible attack he had waiting for them, and they were just walking straight into his trap. They didn't even have any backup, nobody could help them. He reached over and grabbed Mabel’s hand, hoping that her confidence would transfer to him through the contact. She looked over at him as they continued to walk past the porch and towards the forest. The golden glow brightened the closer they got, tinting the greys around them. After walking for about ten minutes- time was hard to tell in the mindscape- the trees began to thin. From here it was obvious that the glow was actually moving, swirling and twisting, sometimes even dimming and brightening. The trees gave way to a clearing, full of dead grass and flowers. There were smoldering streaks on the ground, and small patches of a strange liquid that seemed to writhe and change with every second. As they scanned the clearing Mabel dropped Dipper’s hand, and both the twins stared in horror at the sight that greeted them. Bill was floating with his back to the twins, a monster twisted and torn below him. the monster's dark blood was staining the ground, seeping into the dead grass. Dipper took a step back, preparing to run, the dead, charred grass crunching beneath him. Bill’s triangular form seemed to straighten, and slowly he turned around.

“Hey kids! Crazy seeing you here!”

“Is it? Because i’m pretty sure it’s your fault we’re here, mister!” Mabel said angrily, putting one hand on her hip, and holding up her grappling hook with the other. 

“Mabel-” Dipper started, about to warn her not to sass the actual demon who was currently holding them in the mindscape, but she quickly cut him off. 

“I mean you are the one controlling this place! You control who is and isn't in it!” She continued, voice getting higher and louder. Bill still floated above the monster's still bleeding corpse, seemingly unaffected by the small angry girl waving a weapon at him.

“Geez, Shooting Star, should you really be threatening a powerful demon right after he made sure to give you them best sleep of your life?” Bill drifted down towards the twins, causing Mabel to aim her grappling gun at him, still fuming, her extra hand in a fist at her side. “You come in here guns blazing without even a thank you? You know that’s generally considered rude, kid.” 

“Rude? Rude is trapping us in this stupid grey… place!” Mabel continued to wave her arms around, almost hitting Dipper with the grappling hook a few times.

“Why did you bring us here, Cipher?” Dipper said, surprised he’d even managed to get a word in, “What do you want from us?”

“Dipper, Dipper, Dipper. I already told you i don't want anything from you! I just want to be friends, kid.” Bill floated down and put his arms around the twins, pulling them into a weird hug. “Is that really so hard to believe?” 

Mabel gave Dipper a look, scrunching up her nose. She pulled away from the weird position Bill had put them in and looked the triangle up and down, narrowing her eyes. “How do we know we can trust you?” She asked, still skeptical. Dipper pulled himself away too, standing next to Mabel, mirroring her disapproving look. 

Bill sighed, and waved his hand, causing his cane to appear. He mimicked leaning on it before saying, “You see that monster? It’s actually a very minor demon. It was on its way to your broken down little shack, until I killed it.” Dipper and Mabel shared an even more skeptical look before looking back at the demon when he continued, “You know, most humans would be begging to worship me by now. You kids are pretty ungrateful.” Mabel rolled her eyes, but lowered her grappling gun.   
She looked over at Dipper, who was unsure what to make of the situation. He couldn't help but feel, however, that Cipher was telling the truth.

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has been abandoned until further notice


End file.
